Arthur Fonzarelli

Arthur Herbert "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (1927-) was an American mechanic, high school teacher, and drive-in co-owner from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Biography
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1927 to an Italian-American family, and his father, a US Navy sailor, abandoned his mother and him while he was young; he later met his half-brother Arte and learned to cope with his father's absence and his later death with Arte's help. Known to his friends as "Fonzie", he became a mechanic and a member of the "greaser" subculture during the 1950s, but, despite his affiliation with a rebellious subculture, he was involved with community projects. He voted for Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 due to Eisenhower's status as a war hero, and Fonzarelli was also active in the Civil Rights movement by taking part in Freedom Rides to the American South and became an activist for disabled people (especially those with epilepsy or wheelchair-bound people). He became a popular activist whose trademark thumbs-up pose and his "Eyy" saying were widely imitated, including by President Gerald Ford during his 1976 presidential campaign.